Celebrity Deaths Trivia

1. Who was the British comedian who died on stage during the variety show "Live From Her Majesty's" in 1984?

From Quiz Dramatic Irony

Answer: Tommy Cooper

Thomas Frederick Cooper was born in Wales in 1921 and found fame as a bumbling magician whose tricks never quite worked. His interest in magic began at eight years of age when his auntie bought him a magic set. He made his debut on the BBC talent show "New to You" in 1948 and soon began appearing on his own shows on London Weekend Television. By the mid 1970s he began to suffer from severe medical problems, exacerbated by his increasing reliance on alcohol. On April 15th 1984 he appeared on stage at Her Majesty's Theatre in London and collapsed on stage. The audience thought it was part of the act and continued laughing until it was realised that he was actually dying of a heart attack. He was cremated at Mortlake Crematorium in London.

From Quiz "The Wizard of Oz" - How Did They Pass?

Answer: Stroke

Lyman Baum (1856-1919) grew up in a family that had grown wealthy in the castor oil business. He worked as a small-town journalist, a chicken breeder and an actor before failing as the proprietor of a general store. At the age of 40 he tried his hand at writing. His book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was an instant success and he went on to write more in the series. At age 62 he died of a congenital heart defect and never lived long enough to see his book turned into a successful movie. On a personal note, while in the "Wizard of Oz" store in Las Vegas, I got to meet his grandson and had a very nice, and very long conversation with him.

From Quiz Super Stars In Killer Cars

Answer: Ford Consul

Cochran had just finished his tour with a concert in Bristol and was in a Ford Consul taxi on his way to fly home from London on April 17, 1960. He had travelled to the UK to join Gene Vincent on his tour. Vincent was also in the car, along with Cochran's girlfriend Sharon Sheeley and tour manager Pat Thompkins. The driver lost control on a bend. Cochran's injuries were to prove fatal. Vincent sustained a broken collarbone and Sheeley cuts and bruises. Although he was only 21 and had been in the business for eight years, Cochran had already had hits with "Summertime Blues" and "C'mon Everybody". In a strange twist of fate, as Martin Walker noted in an obituary of another car crash victim, Marc Bolan, in the "Guardian" newspaper, 18 years later, a young Bolan had carried a guitar onstage in London for Eddie Cochran. (Typically for a newspaper renowned for its spelling mistakes, the obituary referred twice to "Eddie Cochrane".)

From Quiz The Last Supper

Answer: Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley, often known as "The King", was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. Elvis must have been a quick learner as he is reported to have been given a "C" in eighth-grade music. He was well known to enjoy food to excess and it appears his last meal was no exception. In 1977, the coroner listed his cause of death as cardiac arrest and it has been speculated the death was triggered by a prescription drug overdose.

From Quiz Hotel California Checkout

Answer: Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix was an American rock guitarist and singer and is considered by some to be one of the best guitarists of all time. Some of his most famous songs include 'All Along the Watch Tower' and 'Purple Haze'. The 27 Club is a listing primarily of musicians who died at the age of 27. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrisson and Amy Winehouse were all 27 when they died. Joplin also died in 1970 in a hotel room but it was the Landmark Motor Hotel, Hollywood, California. Jim Morrison died a year later in 1971 in Paris, France. And Amy Winehouse, a 'Brit', died at home in Camden, London in 2011.

From Quiz Mysterious Celebrity Deaths.

Answer: Kurt Cobain

Cobain was the lead singer of Nirvana and the face of the grunge movement in rock music in the early 1990s. They released one of the highest-selling rock albums of all-time, "Nevermind" in 1991, and a successful follow-up, "In Utero", in 1993. They are famous for songs such as "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "In Bloom", "Come as you Are", "Lithium" and "Heart-Shaped Box". Unfortunately, the band didn't last long. This is because Cobain was found dead in 1994, with a gun and a suicide note in his hand. The details of his death are unknown.

From Quiz Who Lived the Longest? Part 2

Answer: Charlotte Rae

Charlotte Rae starred in "The Facts of Life", and lived to the age of 92. Before "Facts" she played Edna Garrett on "Diff'rent Strokes" (1978-1979) and Sylvia Schnauser on "Car 54, Where Are You?" (1961-1963). Lucille Ball, probably television's most famous redhead, died at 77 in 1989. Audrey Meadows of "The Honeymooners" was 73 when she died in 1996. Lynn Redgrave passed away at 67 in 2010.

From Quiz Who Lived the Longest?

Answer: William Frawley

William Frawley was 79 when he passed away in 1966. He was actually 22 years older than his TV wife, Vivian Vance, which caused quite a bit of friction on the set. Lucille Ball was 77 when she passed away, Vivian Vance was 70, and Desi Arnaz was 69.

From Quiz I'll Have Scotch and Water

Answer: Whiskey and malt liquor

On the morning of October 20, 1969, author Jack Kerouac was working on a book while drinking whiskey and malt liquor when he began to feel nauseous. A short time later, he began to vomit blood due to a stomach hemorrhage caused by his long-time drinking. Surgery was performed, but cirrhosis had caused too much damage to his liver which, in turn, prevented his blood from clotting. He passed away at 5:15 the following morning without ever regaining consciousness. He was only 47 years old at the time of his death.

From Quiz The Wind That Shakes the Curtains

Answer: Debbie Reynolds

Debbie Reynolds (1932-2016) had her first major role in "The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady" (1950), as the younger sister of the title character. Debbie will probably best be remembered for her role in "Singin' in the Rain" as the final love interest of Gene Kelly. Other highlights of her career include the title role in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" and the role of Frances Liberace in "Behind the Candelabra" (2013). She also did some work as voice actress, for instance for "Charlotte's Web" (1973) and the TV series "The 7D" in 2015 - her last project. Her daughter Carrie Fisher (1956-2016) has starred as Princess Leia in four movies in the "Star Wars" series. Carrie Fisher died of a heart attack on 27 December 2016, a few days after experiencing a medical emergency on a flight. Her mother, Debbie Reynolds, was hospitalized on 28 December 2016 following a severe stroke and died later the same day. Judy Garland (1922-1969), Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982) and Goldie Hawn (born 1945) were other actresses whose daughter followed in their footsteps.

From Quiz Celebrity Bizarre

Answer: Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams is often considered to be one of the three most influential American playwrights of the 20th Century. Some of his early works often focused on the unhappy family life he had growing up, such as "The Glass Menagerie". During the 1940s and 195os he wrote some of the finest plays in the 20th Century including "A Streetcar Named Desire" in 1947, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" in 1953, and "Suddenly, Last Summer" in 1958. In 1983, at the age of 71, Williams was found unexpectedly in a New York City hotel room, dead after choking to death on the plastic cap of a nasal spray inhaler.

From Quiz Famous people and their strange deaths

Answer: drowning

Natalie Wood, along with her husband Robert Wagner and their friend, Christopher Walken, were boating near Santa Catalina Island. Natalie had gone to bed and when her husband checked in on her, she was missing. She was later found dead, with the ruling that she died of drowning during a boating accident. However, she did have bruises which caused people to think there was more to her death than just drowning.

From Quiz Celebrity Burial Sites

Answer: Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in Goodletsville, Tennessee

The bodies of David "Stringbean" Akeman and his wife Estelle were discovered by their neighbor and fellow entertainer Grandpa Jones. The horrific killing occurred on November 10, 1973 shortly after Stringbean arrived home after performing at the Grand Ole Opry. Following a police investigation John and Marvin Brown, cousins, were arrested and charged with the murders. They were convicted and sentenced to prison. Marvin Brown died in prison while John was paroled after 41 years. Several musicians are buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens, which is located near Nashville.

From Quiz First or Last to Die?

Answer: DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy)

Alas, the wonderful Leonard Nimoy's death at the age of 83 in February 2015 marked the passing of the third of the seven actors who played major characters in "Star Trek: The Original Series". Preceding him were James Doohan, the Canadian with the memorable Scottish accent in his role as "Scotty" the Chief Engineer, who died aged 85 in July 2005, and DeForest Kelley, who played the ship's doctor, Leonard "Bones" McCoy, who passed away at the age of 79 in June 1999. Kelley made his screen debut in 1947 and played made numerous appearances in TV series, particularly Westerns ("The Lone Ranger", "Bonanza" and "Gunsmoke") in his pre-"Trek" days. Kelley and Doohan were significantly older than the other major cast members, both having been born in 1920 (Kelley in January and Doohan in March). All of the other major cast members were born in the 1930s, William Shatner (Captain James Tiberius Kirk) the oldest, in 1931; Nichelle Nichols (Lieutenant Nyota Uhura) in 1932; Walter Koenig (Ensign Pavel Chekov) in 1936; and George Takei (Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu) in 1937. An honourable mention should also go to one other semi-regular cast member, Majel Barrett. The second wife of series creator Gene Roddenberry, Barrett played Nurse Christine Chapel in "The Original Series", Lwaxana Troi in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: DS9", and also provided the voice of the on board computer, died aged 76 in 2008.

From Quiz They Passed Away on a June Day

Answer: Ann B. Davis

Ann B. Davis was born in 1926 in Schenectady, New York, along with her twin sister Harriet. At age three, Ann and her family moved to northern Pennsylvania. Although Davis had planned to be a physician, she endued up studying drama and speech at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. One of her earliest TV appearances was as a panelist in Jukebox Jury (1959-67). For her role as Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz in 'The Bob Cummings Show' (1955-59), Davis won two Emmys, plus two additional nominations. But Davis's most famous role was as happy housekeeper Alice Nelson in the sitcom 'The Brady Bunch' (1969-74) and subsequent telemovies such as 'The Brady Girls Get Married' (1981), not to mention mercifully forgotten spinoffs like 'The Bradys' (1990). In the 1990s, Davis switched from screen to stage and appeared in such plays as 'Arsenic and Old Lace'. Earlier, in 1976, Davis had moved to Colorado to join an Episcopalian community run by bishop William Frey and his wife; after it dissolved, she continued to live with the Freys. On January 1, 2014, Ann B. Davis slipped and struck her head, and then developed a subdural hemotoma which led to her demise several hours later. The suddenness shocked those who knew and loved her.

From Quiz They Passed Away on a Day in May

Answer: Gene Rayburn

The son of Croatian immigrants, Gene Rayburn was born Eugene Rubessa in Christopher, Illinois in 1917. He began his career in radio with a drive-time show in New York on WNEW (later WBBR). In 1953, he began a long association with producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, as he hosted many of their programs, including the original "Match Game" (1962-69). In the revival of "Match Game" (1973-82), a rather more salacious version, Rayburn made his famous catchphrases--like "Slide it, Earl!"--and even once brought out Earl, an African-American crewman, for his fifteen minutes of fame. In one of his later appearances, Rayburn played himself in a "Saturday Night Live" skit in 1990. Gene Rayburn died of congestive heart failure on November 29, 1999.

From Quiz Live Fast, Die Old

Answer: Hugh Hefner

The founder of "Playboy" magazine launched his empire in 1953 with an investment of less than $9000. His numerous affairs and wild lifestyle have been a favorite topic of Hollywood gossip columns. In December, 2012, Hefner married twenty-six year old Crystal Harris.

From Quiz They Passed Away on an April Day

Answer: John Forsythe

A native of New Jersey, John Forsythe played the unseen millionaire Charles Townsend on the TV series "Charlie's Angels" (1976-81) as well as in the feature film (2000). He survived a quadruple coronary bypass in 1979 to finish "Charlie's Angels" and star in the movie "...And Justice for All" that year as a corrupt judge. He won two Golden Globe awards and was nominated several times for the Emmy. Not only was he an actor, but he owned and bred race-horses, and in the 1980s he hosted the annual Eclipse Awards. John Forsythe died of pneumonia on April 1, 2010.

From Quiz They Died in a February

Answer: Don Cornelius

Don Cortez Cornelius was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1936. He joined the US marines at Korea for a year and a half. Cornelius began his career in show business as a DJ at WVON-Radio, and then he created a TV talk show called "A Black's View of the News" in 1968. He created an African-American version of Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" with his hit enduring program "Soul Train", which he hosted from its inception in 1971 to 1993. Even after he left, the show remained a TV fixture until 2006. Many stars appeared on "Soul Train", including The Jackson Five, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, and Elton John. Cornelius had suffered numerous health issues including brain surgery in the 1980s and an aneurysm in 1997. He called his son at 3AM on February 1, 2012 and informed him he could no longer deal with the seizures he had suffered since up to then. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head shortly thereafter.

From Quiz Death By Automobile

Answer: Porsche 550 Spyder

James Dean had been hailed as one of the best upcoming actors of the 1950s and had gathered many devoted fans. In September 1955, Dean was at the wheel of his new Porsche Spyder when it collided head-on with a Ford Custom Tudor coupe on U.S. Route 466 near Cholame, California. Dean was fatally injured. His mechanic Rolf Wütherich survived, as did the driver of the Ford, Donald Turnupseed. Ironically, Wütherich was also to die in a car crash, in 1981. "Too fast to live, too young to die bye bye" was a line from an Eagles song entitled "James Dean".

From Quiz Celebrity Death Quotes

Answer: Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur on 23rd March 1905. Her movie career spanned five decades from 1925 to 1970. Joan really didn't appear in that many film classics, "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane" (1962) and "Mildred Pierce" (1945) being the exceptions. She died of a heart attack on 10th May 1977. Sadly she was also very ill with pancreatic cancer before her fatal heart attack.

From Quiz They've Seen Their Final Curtain

Answer: William Powell

At the age of 18, William Horatio Powell went to New York and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. His career in Hollywood began in 1922. Between the time of his graduation from the AADA and his first movie, he worked in vaudeville and had a successful Broadway career. William was married three times. His first wife was Eileen Wilson and they were married from 1915 to 1930. They had one child, a son, named William David Powell (he took his own life in 1968). William H. then married Carole Lombard. Their marriage lasted only two years, from 1931 to 1933. In 1940, he met Diana Lewis, whom he called "Mousie" and their marriage lasted until his death. They met only three weeks prior to their marriage. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times: "The Thin Man" (1934), "My Man Godfrey" (1936) and "Life with Father" (1947). His last movie was "Mister Roberts" (1955) after which he retired. There were many requests for him to return to making movies. However, he was content being retired. He died March 5, 1984.

From Quiz How Did They Die? Part 2

Answer: Old age

Charlie Chaplin died at the age of 88 at his estate in Switzerland. He was buried overlooking Lake Geneva but not for very long. In March 1978 his coffin with him in it was dug up and held at a ransom of $600,000. His widow, Oona, refused to pay but with police on her side the two men were captured and charged. Charlie is now buried in the small town cemetery of Corsier-Sur-Vevey, Switzerland, in a concrete vault.

From Quiz How Did They Die? Part 1

Answer: Heart attack

Born on 28th May 1908, Ian Fleming died at the age of 56. The last book that he wrote was an entirely different kind of story. A few months before his death it was published - the children's classic "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".

From Quiz Dearly Departed: Former Child Stars

Answer: Heather O' Rourke

Heather, who was usually referred to "As the Poltergiest Girl", was an actress for only seven years, and was well on her way to becoming a big star. Sadly, she passed away at the age of 12 in 1988 from complications due to Crohn's disease. Please note that O'Rouke, died of a bowel obstruction, which stemmed from Crohn's disease. Quote can be found at www.IMDB.com

From Quiz Gone But Not Forgotten 2

Answer: Michael Landon

Michael's credits include the following: "Bonanza" (1959), "Little House on the Prairie" (1974) and "Highway to Heaven" (1984). All three of these showed ran at least five years and were succesful hits. In addition, he was writer, director, executive producer, producer and actor in various episodes of "Little House" and "Highway" TV series. Eugene Maurice Orowitz was born on October 31, 1936, in Forest Hills, Queens, New York. Sadly, Mike died July 1, 1991 of pancreatic cancer.

From Quiz Gone But Not Forgotten 1

Answer: John Ritter

John portrayed Jack, who was studying to be a chef and shared rent expenses with two women room mates. After that series ended, he had a spin-off from the show in 1984, called "Three's a Crowd". John had found success again on the 2002 hit comedy "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter". His credits included: a 1992 TV series "Heart Afire" and 1987 "Hooperman". He starred in 1990 movies "It", "Problem Child" and in 1992 Problem Child 2", "Sling Blade" (1992) and in 2003 "Bad Santa". He also provided the voice of "Clifford, the Big Red Dog" TV series in 2000 and the 2004 movie "Clifford's Really Big Movie". He also appeared in many TV movies including: "A Smoky Mountain Christmas" (1986), "Gramps" (1995), "A Child's Wish" (1997) and "Lethal Vows" (1999). He was producer of "Man of the Year" (2002) and TV series "Anything but Love" (1987). He made various guest appearances during his career including "Hollywood Squares" and TV series "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" in 2002. John was the son of legendary country singer, Tex Ritter and actress Dorothy Fay. John's first wife was Nancy Morgan. He had three children from that marriage. His second wife was Amy Yasbeck and they had a daughter, Stella. John has a Hollywood Walk of Fame star next to his father. He was nominated for numerous awards during his career including: daytime Emmys and a People's Choice Award. John was involved in the annual Cerebral Palsy Telethon. His brother, Tom suffered from the disease. He was born Jonathan Southworth Ritter on September 17, 1948. He died on September 11, 2003, which was his daughter's birthday, and just days short of his own birthday and anniversary. John remains one of my favorite actors and I will never forget him! By the way, all the other choices given also died in 2003.

From Quiz Who or What Killed Them?

Answer: Run over by a car

Rex Allen was born on the last day of 1920 in Arizona and died in the driveway of his home on the 17th December 1999 at the age of 78. He was apparently 'reversed over' by his caretaker after either stumbling or suffering from a medical condition.

From Quiz Celebrity Plane Crashes

Answer: Mason City

Their last gig on their "Winter Party Dance Tour" was at the Surf Ballroom, in Clear Lake.

From Quiz RIP Classic Leading Men

Answer: 1997

James Stewart was the Everyman of film. His career lasted six decades and included such classics as "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington", "The Philadelphia Story", "Harvey", "Rear Window", and "Vertigo". He passed away on July 2nd, 1997, three years after his beloved wife, Gloria, of 44 years.

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